Broadway is Wicked is a blog aimed at fans of the smashing-hit show Wicked The Musical. In this site you will find all kind of news, videos, photos, interviews and other things related to Wicked –Broadway, National Tours, Australia Tour and West End- and other stuff related to Broadway and theatre in general.

Monthly Archives: January 2011

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So… this song is a landmark already for Wicked. Strange versions I’ve heard but this one is impressive. Someone thought this song was from Spring Awakening so they did the video with that image -pfff. Go past that and listen…

The musical Wicked has finally kicked off in Brisbane after flood delays postponed the show for almost two weeks.

Thousands of tickets to sold-out shows had to be reissued after the Brisbane River burst its banks at South Bank and inundated the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Preview shows along with an all-star opening night function were cancelled as the flood crisis worsened.

However, a full-house theatre fans were admitted to the Lyric Theatre today after it was announced the show would go on at last.

Bert Newton, Jemma Rix and Lucy Durack, are staring in the production as the Wizard of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda respectively.

Anne Brummel will replace Vicki Noon as Elphaba in Wicked Second North American Tour. Brummel was the standby for the role over a year now and will permanently be playing it as from Jan. 26 in Albuquerque, NM.

Brummel will join a cast that includes Natalie Daradich as Glinda, Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible and Tom McGowan as The Wizard.

Anne Brummel, an original member of the second North American tour of the hit musical Wicked who has spent the past year as the Elphaba standby, will take over that role permanently in the tour beginning Jan. 26 in Albuquerque, NM.

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Brummel will join a cast that includes Natalie Daradich as Glinda, Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible and Tom McGowan as The Wizard.

Brummel has toured the U.S. and Canada with Cats, Scarlet Pimpernel, Funny Girl and Evita, where she stoodby for the role of Eva Peron. Regional productions include Fiddler on the Roof, Civil War, Big and several more productions of Evita.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, which turned every Oz myth inside out, Wicked explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. The two main characters meet at Shiz, a school where both hope to take up sorcery. Glinda is madly popular and Elphaba is, well, green. By a misunderstanding, they wind up roommates and, after an initial period of mutual loathing, begin to learn something about each other. Their life paths continue to intersect through a shared love, entry into the Emerald City and interaction with the Wizard himself. Eventually, their choices and convictions take them on widely different journeys.

Wicked features a score by Schwartz, a book by Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The creative team also includes scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

Wicked is currently playing UA’s Centennial Hall in Tucson, AZ, through Jan. 23. Tickets can be purchased online at BroadwayinTucson.com, by phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or at the Centennial Hall Box Office.

The hit musical will play Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque, NM, Jan. 26-Feb. 13. Tickets can be purchased at the UNM Ticket Offices and select Albertsons locations. Online purchases can be made at popejoypresents.com or unmtickets.com; to charge by phone call (877) 664-8661 or (505) 925-5858.

US entertainment magazine Variety has reported that Wicked is to be turned into a 6/8-part miniseries by ABC Studios.

Gregory Maguire’s novel, already a successful musical adaptation by Stephen Schwartz, will be produced by Salma Hayek along with Jose Tamez through the duo’s Ventanarosa Productions.

Other sources indicated that “the television series will be based entirely on the book, so fans expecting big musical numbers will be disappointed. ABC do not own the rights to the musical, the film adaptation of which has been a ‘project in development’ at Universal Studios for several years”.

Saturday 8th January is set to be a sad day for the West End due to a number of high profile departures, but while a lot of the attention seems to be on Sheridan Smith (leaving Legally Blonde) and Kerry Ellis (leaving Oliver!), Wicked fans will be turning their attention to the Apollo Victoria for the exodus of someone who may not grab the headlines, but is just as important.

Sarah Earnshaw is the last remaining member of the original Wicked London cast so it is set to be a very sad occasion, more so as she is not due to even set foot on the stage on her last day! As Standby Glinda, Sarah is set to spend her last day in Oz in the wings, optimistically monitoring any coughs and sneezes coming from first choice Glinda, Louise Dearman, and perhaps getting in some last minute ukulele lessons from her fellow standby, Nikki Davis-Jones.

I have my fingers crossed that she will get on stage on Saturday, and for longer than it takes to collect some flowers and have a bit of a farewell speech. She deserves more than that and a final show would be a fitting send off.

She is leaving before the rest of the cast as she is off to pastures new… to play Emma in the touring production of Jekkyl and Hyde. It starts in Bromley on the 20th January before moving on to Wimbledon, Dublin, Aberdeen, Manchester, Southampton, Birmingham, Bradford, Sheffield, Bristol, Liverpool, Stoke on Trent, Tunbridge Wells, Norwich, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Woking, Plymouth and Leeds.

What is the most commonly asked question relating to Wicked London? Who is better as Fiyero… Lee Mead or Oli Tompsett? No! Will Ashleigh Gray ever come back as Elphaba? Nearly… No, the question that must have been asked the most is “when are we going to get a London Cast Recording?”

Broadway have their own of course, released on December 16th, 2003 and recently certified double platimun at the end of 2010. The market is clearly there, and several shows that have released Broadway recordings have also brought out UK cast recordings, Legally Blonde being a recent, and successful, example.

The London Production Team tried to release a UK release several years when Dianne, Kerry and Oli were in the title roles, but it never actually happened for a variety of reasons. Would they attempt to try again? They might, as the fans are eager for it and money talks. Perhaps we could even remember to include “The Wicked Witch of the East” on it this time?!

@Joewickedd on Twitter is a London Cast Recording drum beater and has created a poll for everyone to sign to hopefully make those that make the decisions sit up and take note. You can sign it at http://twitition.com/kskii but why should we stop there…. According the the BBC “a plan to allow popular online petitions to be debated in Parliament within a year has been given the go ahead by the government. Petitions receiving most support – probably over 100,000 signatures – would be debated, with some possibly becoming bills”.

With that level of support, how could Michael McCabe and the London Team possibly refuse?! 🙂